MOSCOW (AP) — Russia's President Vladimir Putin has warned against driving North Korea into a corner.

While condemning Pyongyang's nuclear ambitions, Putin said the standoff should be settled through dialogue, without "cornering North Korea, threatening to use force or going down to outright boorishness and swearing."

Speaking Thursday to international policy experts at the Valdai forum in Sochi, Putin criticized the U.S. and its allies for missing a chance to build a safer and more stable world after the Cold War.

The Russian leader also noted that the U.S. has been slow to dismantle its chemical weapons arsenals in line with an international treaty, while Russia last month wrapped up the destruction of its chemical weapons stockpiles.